The purpose of life?

At some point I think we all realise that life is created from the same building blocks. That your brain, your nerves, veins and blood all consist of atoms and quarks. And at some point in time, quarks binded together forming specifik particles, which again grouped up to become molecules of different sizes. These different particles fell randomly together and created masses of different types; liquids, solids, gasses etc.

But at some point, these atoms (randomly?) formed a chlorophyl molecule that could absorb other particles, and use them to grow. They could integrate particles in their "group" of particles, and let out a smaller amount than the absorbed. But is this some sort of "will" of particles? If what they wanted was to gather in bigger and bigger clumps, why would life as we know it be created? If atoms at some point created a blue print, and at the same time some atoms randomly formed a ribosome, and it turned out that the ribosome for some reason was randomly created in the way that it could read the blueprint, and gather the nucleotides neccesary to build what the plan explained - Why would these systems start working together? What was their purpose of working together?

Biologists usually tell us that the reason life is here is to reproduced, but that is the purpose of ANIMALS and all other creatures able to reproduce. What's the purpose of atoms? And why did they chose to work together in a system? What's in it for them? These systems that keep running in endless cycles, were they just created by randomness?

It's funny to think about that one of the part achievements of life was the creation of a mind being able to reflect on its own existence.

Afterall, I believe whatever this will of atoms is, that is truly divine. That's why everything exists. Maybe God is just chance? A natural, automatical balance of life that prevents some existences to fill more than others?

Apr 11 2013:
The purpose of life is to know God and enjoy him forever. If your life plays-out all its years and you fail to come to know God and go on to enjoy him throughout eternity then you wasted your life.

Apr 12 2013:
How very intolerant... So there's your answer and nothing else? I seem to find it that religious people more often than others seem to think they know more than all other people. It's fine to me that this is what you believe, but I do not agree to your "finding God is the way to live" that might be your meaning - not mine.

I am the lucky winner of having a conscious mind and being able to see, think, feel, touch, hear and talk. I am here to enjoy this randomness that has been given to me, and try to improve it so that the next ones can have an even better enjoyment of these qualities than I did, and at the same time enjoy these sensations to its fullest. Not to lean back and rely on some God that none knows if exist.

It won't be my place to say if a God "exists" or not, but I'll try to describe and explain nature's movements to my best mathematical and physical ability, then increase what other humans and myself find enjoyable from nature, and ease our tasks as human so that we have more spare time. I do not believe in an absolute answer, but finding an individual meaning.

To conclude: Thank you for your answer, I respect how you see things, but please do not sound like it's an absolute and don't come trying to force your opinion into my mind. I will find my own way, thank you very much.

Apr 12 2013:
You are welcome Albert. Thank you for declaring your respect for how I see things. In my defense I must say I am not guilty of trying to "force my opinion into your mind". In fact, I did not even remotely suggest that you should adopt my beliefs. I believe each person has "gotta serve somebody", as Bob Dylan says. We agree about enjoying the sensations of experiencing God's creation, especially when they extend beyond our mathematical and physical ability to describe and explain. I imagine you feel your beliefs on this matter are just as "absolute" as I do mine. Don't you think it is likely that the question you asked has a more specific answer than your human-centered philosophy? Is Man really the Creator, Reason, and Controller of the Universe? Keep seeking. Keep asking. Keep knocking.

"I have lived on the lip of insanity
wanting to know reasons
knocking at the door
it opens
I've been knocking from the inside"
(Rumi)

I agree with you Albert, that some religious folks often think they know more than all other people, and I believe that practice tends to keep them seperated, rather than connected with others....simply my observation.

I also feel grateful to be a thinking, feeling, consciously evolving person who can see, feel, touch, hear and gather information from many different sources. I respect people and their beliefs even though different from mine.......IF......those beliefs do not adversly impact other people in our world.

My "purpose", is to fully explore the life adventure.......HERE, and NOW to the best of my ability. No other person in the entire world can tell me that my life was wasted because I did not believe what s/he believed, and I perceive that to be very close minded, and as you insightfully say Albert....intolerant.

Apr 12 2013:
'I agree with you Albert, that some religious folks often think they know more than all other people, and I believe that practice tends to keep them seperated, rather than connected with others....simply my observation.'
Brilliant! Cannot agree more.

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Apr 12 2013:
The answer to this question is pivotal on your worldview and belief system. If you are an evolutionist or someone who does not believe in a god, creator, or higher being, then we are the lucky formulation of chance and honestly have no purpose, we merely exist. If however you believe in a supreme being, then the answer to this question is greatly debated - some say our purpose is to glorify God, some would say our purpose is to "win" (or force) everyone over to a religion, it all depends on your worldview.

Apr 11 2013:
I believe the purpose of life is to find meaning in it. Ask yourself, what is it that keeps me going day in and day out, through the good and the bad? In other words, what keeps you from just giving up? This could be because of friends and family, your job, your desires, anything. In this way, the purpose of life could be different for everyone. As the saying goes, "Life is what you make it."

Apr 12 2013:
Yes, I agree that the purpose of each individual is finding their own meaning. But what I wanted to know is why life existed, and why atoms went together to form molecules -- What is their purpose? Why did they do it? Was it just at random?

Apr 12 2013:
In response to that, as many others have undoubtedly stated, the sobering conclusion brought to us by science is that all of it just happened to be random chance. A statistical analysis of the universe shows that something is more likely to occur than to not occur.

However, I have taken theories of consciousness courses for my major and in them, an alternative hypothesis has occasionally been proposed which I would like to share for this discussion. It is a pretty fringe theory for a lot of people so I am going to attempt to be as cautious as I can with my semantics and explain it as simply as I can.

The elementary particles, stars, galaxies, and life all came together as a sort of evolutionary product of consciousness with the purpose of allowing the entire universe to observe itself. This is much like our own subjective experience only on a much grander scale (with which our own subjectivity is a part of). A sort of universal consciousness if you will.

Apr 12 2013:
Interesting theory Paul, and I think I've read something about it. I believe in a universal consciousness, and I cannot even begin to understand or explain it, although I am intrigued by the idea.....thanks:>)

Apr 12 2013:
Personally, I don't believe in reason (in the meaning of goal).
Life isn't here to reproduce, it is here because it reprodeced. The atoms didn't chose to work together, forces around them (the electric force) entangled them together.
Think of all the ~10^20 planets without life. Could someone over there say "we don't have life, it is not miraculess"?. The fact that you are alive enables you to wonder upon this question. Because we won this lottory of life we can be amazed by the small chance it had to succeed.

In a deeper level, a purpose of something is the purpose you give it, as an example, a purpose of a wooden chair could be either a nice place to sit, or a thing to burn to keep warm.

Apr 12 2013:
RE: "Bob Dylan sang. . . "
There is a reason Bob capitalized the word "Lord" in his lyrics:
"You’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody." You say his message is that it does not matter which we serve, the devil or the Lord, so long as we serve somebody? You have it about as wrong as it can get. Nothing matters more than who we serve in this life. Remember, this is a debate. We are looking at the many sides of a question. I allow you to have your opinion, I expect the same courtesy from you. Thank you!

Apr 12 2013:
Albert, when you post a debate you are not looking for a particular answer or opinion. A debate is a free and open discussion of vastly varying views. As the one who posted this always invigorating debate topic you should be ready for views not identical to yours. There are 7-billion humans on Earth. So, when you say to Mr. Zagury, ". . . it was something like that I was looking for." it indicates that you may have not worded your post correctly. Perhaps you should have asked, "Please respond if you believe that there is no reason for existence?" Then I would have known not reply, and we all would save time.

Apr 12 2013:
(Sorry for lack of connection but there is a limited amount of levels)
I did not debated your belief, just your interpetation of Dylan's song. The Lord is spelled with a capital "L", because this is how it spelled, just as My name is spelled with a capital "Z". In my eyes the intention isn't that the Lord and the devil are equal, it is that it doesn't matter, because you are forced to serve, and your options are just who or what.

Edward, Albert didn't started with an answer, he was looking for one. ". . . it was something like that I was looking for." meaning it was a satisfying answer.

Apr 12 2013:
Dear Peter,
"“Blessed are the cracked, for they shall let in the light.”

― Groucho Marx

I do not observe "suspicious" in Albert. He seems to be very insightful and clear. Whenever someone does not agree with your beliefs, you say s/he is uninformed, not intelligent, in the dark, going to hell.....and now we can add "a bit suspicious". Are you EVER going to tolerate, and maybe even RESPECT other people and his/her beliefs???

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Apr 12 2013:
I will take that under advisement Chris. I have respect for your beliefs, and Peter's beliefs, and have expressed that many times. I do not share the same beliefs, and it appears that you do not like it when people do not agree with you.

Apr 11 2013:
When people in science talk about particles "choosing" things, it is a metaphor. Humans tend to anthropomorphise all sorts of stuff to help us understand what might be going on, but atoms really are not choosing what they do. Unfortunately the metaphor can confuse people who are not in science into thinking these particles are actually making choices.

Apr 12 2013:
I just wanted to be sure, because I know that when scientists use language about a particle or photon's "choosing" its path, or when a scientist says that mirror neurons allow animals to "read each others minds," lots of people do not realize these are meant as metaphors.

Apr 12 2013:
The question should rather be what is the reason you are alive, than assuming that you exist for a purpose. If you can find an answer to the reason you, as a person are alive, you can follow that reasoning to do what you can to make the most of the reason you are alive. Of course there are people with different beliefs, but what they believe could be more to your understanding or less, but the point is that it is different.

So id like to share that i feel whatever your purpose to live is, the reason we all live and have unique personalities with minds that we can use to think.

Apr 12 2013:
My friend Martin said it best; 'life is about food, booty and the first dump of the day.'.... at first it struck me funny however, when I actually thought about it, in a strange way, it made sense. :)